Recreation + Resiliency: Adapting to Shocks and Stressors Through Integrative Parks Planning

As stressors of climate change and shocks of natural hazards undermine the health, safety and vibrancy of communities, social systems must contribute to achieving resilient communities. The Mariposa County (California) Recreation and Resiliency Plan not only supports development and maintenance of parks and recreation amenities, but also applies a resiliency framework to align decisions with wider climate-change adaptation and risk-reduction objectives. Extensive community input led to strategies that leverage parks, trails and open spaces to achieve adaptation and mitigation outcomes, like reducing wildfire risk and supporting disaster response activities. This session describes a 20-year direction for a rural Sierra Nevada County to establish itself as a resiliency leader and great place to recreate. In focus will be the 'how': how the plan addressed the intersection of recreation and resilience; how a system confronts climate-change impacts; and how health and economic development are promoted. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Apply digital stakeholder engagement techniques to align park and recreation investments with community-resiliency priorities. 
2. Identify, detail and support the implementation of strategic park and recreation projects that achieve both the community's recreation and resiliency objectives. 
3. Plan for a context-sensitive system of parks, trails and open spaces that contribute to healthy and prosperous rural communities, particularly in amenity-rich rural areas.